How to Avoid Practice Pitfalls | Our 10 Best Tips for Practicing Guitar
Chris and Cooper are here with their Top 10 Tips for productive practice time! Take a listen and let us know what your most valuable practicing habits are, and hopefully we can all get better together.
OUR TIPS:
Practice, Don’t Perform
Have a Plan
Set a Time and Place
Use a Metronome!
Keep Your Instrument at the Ready
FOCUS
Be Open To Creativity
Be Patient
Record Yourself and Listen Back
Diversify!
BONUS… Practice… and Perform!
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Originally posted by UCIB3DqQuXKmM7DzEMppafDA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WexBgl6Ss2w
Well said fellas❤ I was always curious what others thought about this process, I agree as I’m in the learning phase ( teaching guitar keeping me busy) I have to stay ahead of my students
4 years later but always relevant infor..thank you gentlemen
Thank you for the video!
These guys are great ????
ive been playing guitar for 7 years and am still crap what do you do to practise i just noodle different little riffs whats the best way to learn a song?? the stuff you guys are talking about i have heard a million times
I don't care if you play the same six songs everything. You guys are the best!! Keep making videos !!!
LOVE the Iverson intro (can't believe no one else noted this!!)… oh, the tips are helpful too! 🙂
was that a reference to Alan Iverson at the beginning of the video?
i got adhd and it’s extremely important that i make sure that 1. i make sure that i‘m absolutely not disturbed or distracted by anything or anyone. i‘m there for everybody in this household anytime, except when i practice music. and 2. i take breaks, i usually use 25 minutes sessions because when i’m in the zone i forget to drink, i get cramped, so get up, drink water, walk a few steps, let fresh air into the room and then get back into the next 25 minutes. otherwise i get out of my practice, tired, muscles hurting, no oxygen left in the room and mentally exhausted.
If you want to learn or improve at anything (music, language, fitness), Get Comfortable with Feeling Uncomfortable.
Maybe consider creating some content on utube! I know from experience it’s a great way to show your stuff, even if you’re just getting going. I like to refer back to old videos, of songs mostly, so I can remember what I did and relearn it if I want. Good luck!
9:34 i do remember while reading that book, i realized that the reason why i stopped practising was because i had to store my guitar somewhere not very reachable and i just got sick of taking it out and putting it back.
Very enjoyable and useful- well done fellas.
You guys are just exceptional! I hope they pay you enough! Cheers
are we talking about practice?
-Iverson
Been playing for 58 years (go figure). I really enjoyed your video, I know all those pitfalls haha (and never got discouraged).Now this is something I believe: Rise to the occasion. I mean, if the talent is there (IF THE TALENT !!!) it will show fast, and gets even better when challenged.If the Stones would have stayed a blues band with their regular Sunday night at the Richmond Hotel or something, they would have been a very nice , very tight blues band but not the greatest rock'nroll band in history.I believe in before, and beyond the magic point, after which it has become music.
i'm just starting after starting 4 times before in my life, I'm working on memorizing the fret board, and my first couple chords.
i downloaded a fret and chord pdf to look at, and spending 15 minutes a day on that till i move on
Love the music.
you go to the gym?
These are all fantastic tips. Some of which was nice to be reminded of
Thanks for tips I'm 50 years old work a lot and just picked up the guitar about a year ago still suck,and can't play a song I know chords but get frustrated because not learning quickly, so I move on to another then another another, but I will use your advice and learn at least 1 dam song
What model Martin is that? This 000 has a bound fingerboard ???? an M36?
#frkin 1….. practice STANDING UP, not sitting down! If you learn sitting down what do ya thinks gonna happen when you stand up n try to play?
I’ve really grown to enjoy these vids, especially bc I never feel as if they’re only here to sell us something. Here are two genuine musicians who seem to enjoy sharing instruments, ideas, and music with us. Also, what are the details on those lights behind you?
Thanks ???????? for the great advice
Ha! Great opening.
Really informative and wise. Thank you ????
I tend to rotate thru my guitar collection when I practice. Im not sure why I do this, but I tend to feel that being proficient on several guitars helps me to be prepared to play any guitar and not just one favorite guitar. Any thoughts on this?
In my very limited experience the most important thing is to finish a practice task by doing it correctly… maybe I have to do it super painfully slow, but I find that finishing by doing it right I tend to come back to the next session being able to do it better. It’s a weird thing and I cannot explain it, but it works for me.
1- Practice, don't perform: If it sounds good you're not really practicing, you're just playing. Make sure you're challenging yourself.
2- Have a plan: When you practice, make sure you know what you're going to work on (song, technique, etc.). Have a goal.
3- Set a time, set a place: It makes that time something to look forward to. Helps remove distractions during practice time. timing.
4- Use a metronome: Use a metronome to improve your playing time.
5- Keep your instrument available and out: Having your instument available you're more likely to have the habit of practicing regularly.
6- Focus: Avoid all distractions during practice time (phone, TV, internet, etc).
7- Be open to creating while practicing: Take adtantage of new ideas that may arise during practice time. Embrace the "happy accidents", the moments of creative genius.
8- Be patient with yourself: Don't be discouraged if something you're practicing is taking you a long time. Sit on your progress, keep it personal, and be patient before performing for an audience.
9- Record yourself and listen back: Audio and/or video, if you record yourself you may find multiple things you need to improve and things that you like about your guitar playing.
10- Diversify: Diversification of play styles will help you challenging yourself. Practice the technique and understand the songs you learn. Understand the context of the songs you love.
BONUS: Performance is a form of practice: If you're passionate about guitar playing, playing in front of people that make you feel comfortable will help you practicing what performing in front of an audience feels like.
Remember "the very best guitar in the world is the one you're practicing on"
Well if my practice is not supposed to sound good, I was bloody amazing tonight. I managed to klunk every fret on my guitar tonight. At least I was consistant. I understand what you mean, I'm just frustrated. It will pass.
Such a fantastic video! This has so much applicability beyond guitar playing/practicing. Thank you!
That first tip is so good. I didn’t realize I play songs I already know all the time and don’t practice new stuff enough.
Do you practice solely on one song until it's perfected or do you work on several at a time? Also how long does it take to callous up your fingers. Last time I stopped my practice sessions because my fingers stayed sore during practice for weeks on end. I used to play with average talent growing up but quit after my wife and I split up.
How do u play fast?
You guys are The Best.!! Thanks for everything and your advice.
What pick did you switch to???
Use HUM APP! It’s Awsome make ruff drafts of music an improve thanks for the video it helps a lot ????
I would keep my 210 CE Plus out or GS Mini out all the time, but I have little kids.
Love them together they are funny and at the same time very informative. When one starts giggly the other is serious especially I call him sneezy. He called himself that because of his allergies. Great channel.
Great tips! I've been playing for 30+ years and feel I'm still only knee-deep in the pond. When I get cocky I just watch guys like Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, Jeff Beck or Eddie V (or that 10 year old kid). SO much to learn and then enough practice to transfer control from the head to the hands. Wish the internet were ubiquitous in 1987 when I started (at least in some ways). Thanks for all the work, guys.
I record myself fairly often and I can usually tell if I'm playing the tune well while recording it. What I have occaisionally been shocked by is the expressions on my face. Some make me laugh uncontrollably!
Thanks for your advices, I’ll try to practice from many of your suggestions. Now, I’m realized that practicing while watching TV is not a good habit.????????
Liked it how about a video on at least 5 thing to do or remember when you are preforming
OLD SCHOOL? I had to learn by playing along to 33rpm records because I couldnt afford a metronome ( or a tuner- I used to tune to the record) !
I love Cooper’s video examples!
Guitar hopefully is a personal journey.
The last thing you said about playing for nursing homes,, sparked something in me to set a goal,, thanks that was a golden nugget for me..
I've been lucky enough to earn most of my livelihood from guitar including lots of teaching . My best tips would be….
1. SET GOALS……what are you trying to achieve ? Break these down into sub-goals if necessary . Write them down so you don't forget and lose your direction .
2. MICRO PRACTISE…..do this a LOT . Practise the small chunks that you stumble on all the time , and not so much time on the bits that you CAN play . If you stumble on 2 beats , don't practise the whole bar , or , even worse , the whole line . By micro practising just those two beats , your practise will become more efficient and powerful.
3. SLOW AND ACCURATE practise is the most powerful at producing good results . Practising something wrong again and again doesn't usually work very well…….sometimes it doesn't work AT ALL . If you can't play it ACCURATELY…..SLOW DOWN . If you still can't play it accurately slow down AGAIN ……and again……there should be a speed at which you can nail it and thats the speed you should play it . If that speed is RIDICULOUSLY slow…….fine…..that's where you need to start……more speed will come over days or weeks .
4. BALANCE EFFICIENT HARD WORK WITH FUN . The most effective types of practice can get boring quite quickly …..so have fun as well . If you don't have fun , you'll probably quit . The balance of fun and efficiency varies from person to person , and for any one person , it varies day to day . Find your own balance…….no one else can find it for you .
5. MIRACULOUS PRACTISE . I've discovered , by chance , that working hard on a topic , for hours or maybe days , and then LEAVING THE TOPIC for days , or even weeks , has often produced rather amazing results . This has often happened when bashing away at the topic for AGES with unswerving dedication has produced NOTHING ! Can't claim to understand what happens during the resting period …….do more brain neurons grow ? Or more muscle fibres develop ? ……..hmmm…….dunno……but if you try it you may wind up believing in miracles !
You guys really make excellent videos, I've watched a lot of your reviews, great stuff; informative and fun to watch. Chris, love your playing. Great tips in this video, all of which should be obvious but putting them all together and illustrating them as you did … lightbulbs going on in my head. Almost a damn shame that I don't live in the US so I can't buy a guitar from you! 🙂